


5 months and 14 days

by ElenaKG



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Destroy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Post Mass Effect 3, Reunion, Shepard Survived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:48:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElenaKG/pseuds/ElenaKG
Summary: Shepard woke up after months in a coma, but she doesn’t know where she is or what happened since she destroyed the crucible. But she only wants one thing, to see the man she loves.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Kaidan Alenko/Shepard
Kudos: 20





	5 months and 14 days

The first thing Shepard noticed was the itchiness of the sheet against her skin. She slowly opened her eyes but closed them immediately, the harsh light blinding her. She tried to move it, but her arms were too heavy for her to lift. She tried several times again, and after each movement she felt her arms getting stronger. She sighed in frustration, wondering what she drank the night before to end up like that anyway. Suddenly, flashes of her past and whispers of voices made her heart jump in her chest. 

Old machines. Her parents’ bodies. The citadel destroyed. Thresher maws.

Kaidan. London’s streets covered in blood. Anderson’s voice.

Her last breath.

“We should call the doctor, her heartbeat…”

“You have to make it Shepard, come on!”

“I think she’s going into cardiac arrest.”

“Did anyone make the call yet?”

Her mind couldn’t comprehend all that destruction at once, and when she felt hands on her arm she instinctively pushed back, her eyes suddenly wide open. She promptly got up from the bed, ripping of the tubes that connected her to it. Her eyes automatically scanned the room, the way they did numerous time before during the war, but she felt she wasn’t right. She could not concentrate on the exits, possible weapons on the room, how many opponents she was facing. 

“What did you do to me?” She croaked out, barely recognizing her own voice. “Who are you?” She stumbled around, holding on various objects in the room, trying to distance herself from the others.

“I can’t believe she’s awake.”

“Call the doctor immediately!”

“Commander Shepard please, you need to calm down.”

She saw a knife on the trey next to her bed and instantly grabbed it. She turned to face the threats, all blocking the only exit of the room. She racked her brain to figure out who they were. Cerberus, again? Or... Did she fail?

Did she let everyone down?

“Commander Shepard, please just calm down. ” the voice said, taking a few steps forward.

“Stay back.” She said, raising the knife in their direction. “Stay back!” She repeated, her throat hurting more after each word she pronounce.

“Everyone besides nurse Jones, get out!” A new voice said, near the door. She recognized this one. She knew them. But how? “Shepard, look at me. Focus on me.”

She did as the voice said, knowing she could trust them. She focused on the person, but still struggled to keep her eyes open as she faced the harsh lights. Black hair. A white blouse. Her... eyes.

“That’s it, look at me Shepard. You know who I am, don’t you?” She said, not breaking eye contact, taking small steps to reach her.

“Miranda. You’re Miranda Lawson.” Shepard muttered, her arms falling to her side.

“Great job, Shepard. Now you know I’m your friend, so why don’t you give me the knife.” Miranda said, taking the knife from her hand. She gave it to a man before she gently pushed Shepard to sit down on a chair.

“Did I…” Shepard started, but did not really know how to end that sentence. She felt Miranda’s hands on her shoulder. “Did we…”

“Yes. We won, Shepard. We won.” 

* * *

  
Kaidan barely stepped out the shower that he already started to miss its warmth. Vancouver was excruciatingly cold that time of year, and although he wished he was home more often, he did not miss it. He wrapped a soft towel around his waist and stared at the garden outside the window, covered in snow. He smiled fondly when he saw his mother, covered from head to toe, checking on his father’s plants.

Every day since the day he died, she made sure to take of the garden from him. Fortunately, his family survived the war, but his father died of wounds’ infections a few months after it. Because of the technology break, they were behind a century of what they had before the war. His father refused to take medication, stating that the hospitals were too crowded, and the medication too few to waste on an old man who lived his life to the fullest. A true soldier, until his very last breath. He came to spend the week with his mother, as yesterday was her first birthday she spent without him. She looked better now that some time had passed. It was hard, for her in the beginning, finding herself alone. 

Kaidan felt a cold chill running down his spine and finally put his clothes on. He brushed the fog off the mirror and immediately frowned at the (more than a) few white hairs on the sides of his face. He finally how Anderson felt, when he gave up the Normandy. He often felt that dealing with politicians was harder than dealing with husks. It made him grow older a lot quicker too. 

After the war, him and the rest of the Normandy crew became war heroes on their respective planets. He spent a lot of time in London helping recruits, organizing missions to retrieve technologies that were lost. Spending his free time next to Shepard, hoping she’ll wake up. He decided to stay on Earth to be near her, not wanting to leave her out of her sight for a second; The first month, he almost lived in the hospital. Then he left to be near his father. Then he was needed on some mission considered of the most importance. But he refused to go anywhere he won’t be able to come back to her in a few hours. 

He finished getting ready, and glanced at his graying hair one last time. Shepard was going to tease him mercilessly when she would see it.

Yes. When she’d see it.

She’d wake up, soon. It had only been 5 months, 14 days since he last told her he loved her. But she would wake up, she’d tease him and he’d kiss her and they would have incredible sex and he would never leave her side again. 

Lost in his thoughts, he barely heard the knocks on his door.

“Kaidan” his mother called. “There’s someone at the door, he wants to speak with you. It’s urgent.”

He opened the door warily, he was supposed to be on leave, what could be important enough that the military send a man to come for him?

* * *

  
Shepard woke up 3 hours ago, and she was already done with that hospital. She was still disoriented the first hour. But for the next two, she had more tests done to her than she ever recalled doing in her entire life. Well, maybe not when she was dead and resurrected by Cerberus, but she didn’t remember it. She had to sit through dozens of tests, people following her in the bathroom, watching her as she changed.

To say she wanted to shoot something would be an understatement.

But the thing she wanted most was to see Kaidan. And Garrus, and Liara, and Tally, and all of her friends. But especially Kaidan. She couldn’t wait to kiss his stupidly gorgeous face and apologize for leaving him again. At least he didn’t think she was dead this time.

Miranda was the only one who was allowed to talk to her. She was worried that too much information at once would only confuse Shepard more. Shepard protested of course. They let her face a reaper on foot but knowing the truth on what happened would be too much. 

Shepard felt fine. She felt great even. She felt better than that one time when Miranda woke her up and asked her to destroy some robots. Could it be that she was getting stronger every time she lived through a near-death experience? Or was she getting less human and therefore had less feelings and sensation than the rest of the world?

“ _Do not go there, Shepard. That’s a never-ending shit hole, and you know it._ ” She thought.

Miranda opened her door, a heavy file in her hands. She looked over the charts, checked the machine attached to Shepard, wrote some notes on the file. She finally let out a sigh and stared at Shepard with narrowed eyes.

“I hate to say this, but you seem to be completely fine.”

“Geez, thanks Miranda, I love you too.”

“You know what I mean.” Miranda sat down on the bed. “People who were crushed down by a building and then went in coma for 5 months can’t wake up and be just fine.”

“Well, you know more than anyone how un-normal I am.” Shepard said, shrugging her shoulders. “You made me to be resilient after all.”

“Yes…” She said, trailing off. She seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment, but then quickly got up. “I still have more test with you. Physical, moral. I want to check every fiber of your being before I let you out of this building.”

“Ha! Good joke.” Shepard smiled, but Miranda’s frown told her that she wasn’t, in fact, joking.

“We’ll start with the first physical in 10 minutes.” Miranda said, already turning toward the door.

“Do I get to shoot at someone? No? Punch someone then? Please say I can punch someone, please Miranda… Miranda!”

“Remind me how this is a physical exam?” Shepard muttered, moving another piece. “We’re playing chess. Old fashion chess.”

“I wasn’t about to let you start with a fight. I know you’ll get into one soon enough.” Miranda chuckled, moving another piece, then taking some notes on her file again. “You seem to be unable to rest.”

“I’m able to rest. It’s the universe that doesn’t want me to.” 

“Ah yes, so I guess the universe told you to destroy the finest restaurant on the Citadel.”

“My god, not again with that! It was not my fault, you were there, you know it.”

“Yes, yes, you had a clone. An evil clone. So dramatic.”

“Told you, it’s the universe...”

“Check-mate.” Miranda said, grinning.

“Aren’t you supposed to let me win? I’m the patient here.” Shepard said, pretending to be upset.

“You seem to have good functions of your arms, you can lift and…” Miranda continued talking, but Shepard stopped listening to her. Something was off. She placed her hand on the table and felt the reverberations beneath her touch. The water in the glass was slightly shaking. It was either an earthquake or…

“Something landed on the roof.” She concluded.

Miranda continued to stare at her file, but bit her lips. She looked up and Shepard saw that she was hiding somthing... or someone.

“Who is it?”

“Shepard, I know you’re excited to see the people you love but I’ll remind you that you just woke up from a coma and you’re vul-…”

“Who is it, Miranda?”

“Fine... It’s Major Alenko.”

Shepard got up without hesitation and sprinted down the hall.

* * *

Alenko didn’t wait for the helicopter to fully land to jump out of it. He ran to the door and demanded directions from the guard stationed on the roof. He didn’t even wait for the guard to finish his sentence before he jumped down the stairs of the hospital, not wanting to waist a single second of his time. 

He pushed the double door open with so much strength he almost knocked down a nurse. He once again demanded the direction to her room without apologizing, and left in a hurry. He slalomed through the crowd, pushing doctors and patients alike, possessed by the desire to see Shepard as soon as possible.

“Kaidan!”

He suddenly stopped. Her voice, he just heard her voice, calling for him. He turned around and his knees almost gave up to the sight in front of him. She was there. Shepard was really there, awake.

In the blink of an eye they’re in each other arms. They stayed like that, clinging on each other for dear life, Kaidan professing his love for her again and again, Shepard planting soft kisses everywhere she could reach.   
Nobody dared to interrupt them.

After a while, they returned to Shepard’s room, Kaidan never letting go of her hand, Shepard unable to take her eyes off him.

* * *

“I was with her when they told me you woke up. And I came immediately.” Kaidan explained, cupping her face with one hand, holding her hand with the other. He told her everything, every single thing that happened since the war. He told her about the celebrations of the war’s end, about his father, and even about Garrus and Tali’s plan to adopt Krogan orphans.

“I’m sorry.” Shepard said, again. She couldn’t stop apologizing for everything she put him through, all this time. She couldn’t stop thinking about her choice, wondering if it was worth it. 

“I don’t know what happened, out there.” He said, softly stroking her cheek with his thumb. “But you don’t need to apologize, none of this is your fault. Even if you think it is, it’s not. You saved everyone… the entire god-damn universe.”

She smiled at him, and tilted her face to his hand, planting a kiss on his palm. Kaidan leaned to kiss her and then rested his forehead against hers. Shepard placed her hands on his chest and hummed, calm and content for the first time since she woke up. She was sure than nothing could ruin that moment.

Until her stomach grumbled very loudly. Kaidan burst out laughing, but calmed down when Shepard threw him a menacing look. 

“Some things never change, right?” He chuckled, laughing even more when Shepard punched him jokingly. “What do you want to eat baby?”

Shepard paused to think. It would be her first real meal n in 5 months, she had to pick something special.

“How about sushi? It’s our favorite.” She said, unable to resist the smile forming on her lips. Kaidan nodded before he kissed her again and got up from the chair.

“Stay here, I’ll get some.”

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He walked through the door but then returned, his head poking out. He stroke his jaw and then turned to look at Shepard, who decided to lay down on the bed. 

“You know what I just remembered? That sushi place in the Cita-…”

Shepard threw her pillow at him before he could finish the sentence and Kaiden’s laughter resonated in the hospital’s halls.


End file.
